Your Friendly Neighborhood Slayer
by CallingGloria
Summary: Five-0 deals with one of their most gory cases ever
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a missing scene from the story 'Project Miranda'. I'm a McFrances fan and since many of you who followed "Strange Bedfellows" and later "Project Miranda" complained about a missing scene between the marriage and the birth of the twins, I decided to get a crack at it. With HelenBeacham's permission I've borrowed her OCs Frances and Karen Nyland in this story.**_

_**You don't necessarily need to have read "Strange Bedfellows' or 'Project Miranda' to understand this AU story, for it is a two-part episode that stands on its own.**_

_**However in this story, Steve and Danny are brothers-in-law for having married sisters Frances and Karen Nyland. Kono is married to Adam. **_

_**And yes, there will be Steve whump. The investigative subject is of a delicate nature, so proceed at your own risk.**_

_**Here's a sneak preview:**_

* * *

"Steve we're here! Steve?" Danny shouted as he and Karen stepped into the house. Getting no answer they entered the rest of the way, he with a case of Longboards and she with a bottle of wine. "Strange. He said he'd be here."

"Well, his truck's parked outside," Karen observed. "He couldn't have gone far."

"Probably went for a swim or something," Danny dismissed as he closed the door behind him. "Let's go put the stuff in the kitchen."

It wasn't long after that Chin's Harley pulled up behind Steve's Silverado. Kono was riding in the back.

"Hey guys, come on in," Danny greeted. "The host has momentarily stepped out but make yourselves at home."

"Malia will try joining us later."

"That's good."

Karen returned from the lanai. "Well he's not in the water. I don't see him out there."

"He's not in the shower either. I don't hear it running."

"Could have gone for a quick run?" Chin assumed.

"Before dinner? That's not in his habit."

"Or perhaps he was called on an emergency?" Kono surmised.

"And he would have taken off on foot?" Danny said sarcastically. "Besides he would have let us know. I'll go check his room. Danny started up the stairs to his partner's bedroom and gasped in horror at the grisly sight that greeted him. "Oh God! Guys, get up here QUICK!" He dove to his knees beside his partner and groped his neck to feel for a pulse.

They all hurried up the stairs with their minds racing and hearts thumping at Danny's blood-curdling yell.

"Oh my God!" Karen slapped her hands to her mouth in sheer horror and asked hysterically. "Is he alive?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**My Goodness! There are lots of McFrances fans out there and I am pleased that many of you have favorited or following my story. I hope to do Helen's characters justice and naturally, there will be Steve/Frances scenes. **_

_**The next few chapters will be business as usual to establish the case at hand and how it led up to Steve being...well, you know.**_

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**Days earlier...**

It was a typical Hawaiian sweltering sunny day. Five-0 had not been assigned a case in seven days. Crime seemed to have taken a break, which gave the team time to relax and catch up on some unfinished paperwork.

Steve hated filling out reports and would try to cajole Danny into doing his work for him. Danny was no fool and sensed when his partner was trying to curry favor with him. However he would turn it to his advantage and bargain with him, which would rile Steve but he loathed the paperwork more than kowtowing to his partner's demand.

The subject veered off to their upcoming wedding anniversary. Danny, Steve and Kono had married in a triple ceremony last year and the date of their first anniversary was fast approaching.

"An Alaskan cruise, huh?"

"Yup! A great wedding anniversary gift," Danny replied enthusiastically.

"Hum."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, no, no don't give that. That face? What's that face for?"

"What face?"

"The Danny-you're-dead-wrong face."

Steve laughed and feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't think an Alaskan cruise is romantic?"

"Alaska. It's cold up there," Steve said with a wrinkled nose.

"Just goes to show how unromantic you are. When it's cold, you need to generate body heat. You huddle together, you cuddle. Get my drift?"

"Ah! If you put it that way," Steve replied with an impish grin.

"So where are you and Frances going?"

"I hadn't really thought about it."

"Don't tell me you forgot your wedding anniversary?"

"Don't be silly. It's hard to overlook that date seeing how you, Kono and I married on the same day. I just hadn't gotten around to it."

"Well you'd better think of something fast."

"I'm not worried. Anyhow Frances isn't hung up on those things."

"Figures! You two are alike in many ways."

"Hey, we can be romantic!" Steve scorned indignantly. "But we like to make up our own special moments. She prefers the spur-of-the-moment thing."

"First wedding anniversaries are very special. Trust me."

"Knowing Frances it probably slipped her mind, what with her work and all."

"Wanna bet?" Danny teased with a large goofy grin.

Steve pushed out an annoyed sigh and looking out the window, he gave a curt reply, "No."

"You could take her to the shooting range," Danny bantered.

"Very funny."

"Better yet, enter a contest as to who can leap the tallest building," the blond continued his ribbing.

"Are you through?" Steve huffed out in exasperation.

Danny's face broke into a wide grin. "I have so many more in my satchel Little Buckaroo."

"I'm sure you have."

"Why not take her on a tour of the islands? You two talked about it last year. There are lots of romantic spots to choose from."

"Yeah. Could be an option," Steve answered aloofly.

"Better decide quickly. Your anniversary is only a month away."

Steve was already mulling over Danny's suggestion when his cell phone rang. He activated his Bluetooth earpiece and answered. "McGarrett." He gave Danny a sidelong frown. "Where?"

His partner's aneurysm face prompted Danny to stare intently at him.

"We'll be right there." He ended the call and then speed-dialed Kono's number.

"New case?"

"Yeah. Murdered victim."

"Kono? Steve. Can you get Chin and meet us at 1070 Kinua Street, apartment 209. Danny and I are on our way over there. Duke's already on site. We'll see you both there." he ended the call and put the pedal to the metal.

The sudden thrust forward shoved Danny into the back of his seat. He gritted his teeth and instinctively grabbed on to the window frame with one hand while he gripped the dashboard with the other. "Euh why are we speeding, Steven? If the guy is dead he won't get away."

"It's a woman and I don't want to waste time getting there. From where we are it'll take us fifteen minutes, ten if you shut up and let me drive."

"Just make sure we get there in one piece, please." Danny's plea fell on deaf ears as Steve was focused on the road ahead.

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They made great time to the apartment complex and much to Danny's relief they arrived both unscathed. They walked up to the entrance and buzzed apartment 209 to gain access inside the building. Taking the elevator to the second floor, they headed toward the crime scene where Duke and his team were already at work collecting evidence, snapping pictures and dusting for fingerprints.

"Duke?" Steve called out.

"Over here, gentlemen!" Duke beckoned from the bedroom where a gory sight awaited them.

"Ah God!" Danny turned away in disgust at the mutilated body of a young woman lying on her bedroom floor in a puddle of blood. She had a huge midline incision from the bottom of the sternum all the way down to her pubic bone.

"You all right?" Steve asked, concerned by his partner turning a shade of green.

"Will be. Give me a minute." Danny took deep breaths to quash the nausea rising in his churning stomach.

Although Steve didn't show it he was inwardly disturbed by the gory crime scene. He squatted down by the gutless body of the beautiful young Hawaiian brunette to examine it closely. "What have you got?"

"Malia Hajiro, twenty-seven-year old pediatric resident at Queen's Medical Center. According to her landlord she was the perfect tenant. Always on time with the rent. Very quiet personality. Didn't date much, at least from what he saw. She hardly had any visitor except for her dad."

Kono and Chin arrived seconds later and each let out audible gasps as they set eyes on the macabre sight.

"Who called 911?" Steve asked as he examined the body closely with pinched features.

"The landlord. Says the hospital tried reaching her several times on an emergency. Getting no answer, they called him instead so he could check up on her, and that's when he made the gruesome discovery."

"He didn't tell you anything else?"

Duke shook his head.

"Any sign of breaking and entering?" Steve asked.

"Not that we noticed so far."

"Then it's safe to assume the girl knew her attacker and willingly let him in."

"Could be drug-related," Danny surmised when he regained his bearings. "She worked in a hospital and therefore had access to a bountiful stash. Perhaps she was supplying some drug dealer and she decided to suddenly terminate the contract."

"Could be," Duke agreed. "However we checked the place out. It's clean."

"Safe to assume the killer cleaned her out," Steve alleged as he stood. "Chin, you stay here and speak with the landlord, see if he left out any detail about the girl's daily routine and acquaintances. Also get anything you can find around the apartment that can provide us with a lead. Kono, get back to HQ and see if the girl had any run in with the law. Misdemeanor arrests, traffic violations, anything you can find. Danny and me will go to Queen's to talk to her coworkers. We'll meet back at the Headquarters in early afternoon."

"Right boss."

"Who could have done this? I mean if he wanted to get rid of her, a bullet through the head would have done the job. Why gut her out like that?" Danny said with a marked disgust.

"It could be a spurned lover?" Duke asserted. "With any luck this is merely an isolated incident and not the start of a crime spree."

"Hopefully Max will be able to tell us a bit more." Steve said shaking his head in disbelief. "All right we'll be at Queen's if you need to reach us."

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On the ride back to the hospital, Danny's atypical quietness prompted his concerned partner to break the deafening silence.

"You all right, Danny?"

"Yeah," he sighed dejectedly.

"You sure?" Danny cast him a questioning look. "I'm asking 'cause you're quieter than usual."

"You always complain about my rants. I should think you would welcome this peace and quiet."

"I thought I would but it's kind of scary. Talk to me, buddy."

One heavy sigh later, Danny spoke remorsefully, "I'm sorry about the way I reacted back there."

"What are you talking about?"

"My turning away in disgust."

"Come on, Danny! The woman was butchered. Even I flinched and I'm used to seeing the horrors of war. We're human, aren't we? Well you are, anyway," Steve joked and then saw Danny's lips barely curl up. "Don't fret about it. We'll catch whoever did this. We usually do."

"You don't think the landlord could have done this? There were no signs of forced entry. He does have a master key."

"Could be but it's too obvious. I think it's someone she knew and let him in."

"Him? You really don't think a woman would have done this?"

"No I don't."

Danny closed his eyes briefly before casually casting a look out the window. "She was Karen's age."

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"That's part of it and that's the problem. Our last case involving a girl in her mid-twenties who'd been held captive for two years by her crazy father, well it reminded me of Karen's own nightmare as McFadden's slave girl. I know I shouldn't let it get to me but it does."

"No one is faulting you for feeling this way."

"Steven I'm a cop. I should be immune to all of this. Can't show emotion and certainly not make a correlation with my own life."

"The day it will stop bothering you is the day you'll need to quit, partner. However we don't know what the girl dabbled into. She might have looked quiet and innocent but appearances can be deceiving. Don't forget that Karen has her Danno to take care of her. That girl apparently lived alone and..."

Suddenly a speeding SUV ran a red light and crashed into a small Honda.

"Steve, stop!" Danny yelled, bracing himself for the impact.

Steve hit the brakes with tires screeching before the Camaro came to a complete halt. As he and Danny were about to dash after the SUV to collar the driver, the van suddenly backed up, turned and sped away. Steve and Danny settled back into their seats while passer-bys took care of the passengers of the Honda who were shaken but fortunately not grievously injured.

Steve put the pedal to the metal after the fugitive. As some point, the car careened and out emerged the guy through the broken window. Steve sprinted after him with Danny following close behind.

It took a full minute for Steve to catch up with the nimble-footed teen. Nearing his goal he gnashed his teeth and leapt onto his prey to tackle him to the ground. The young delinquent grabbed a rock and smashed it against Steve's skull, momentarily debilitating him. He swiftly wriggled himself free from underneath the Five-0 leader and took to his feet. However Steve quickly bounced back up and lunged at him to finally pin him to the ground.

Danny arrived shortly after and cuffed the squirming punk while Steve sat on the curb to catch his breath.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Steve hissed, holding the side of his head. "The kid got me on the side head. It's just throbbing a bit." He held his hand up for Danny to give him a hoist up. "Help me up, will you?"

Danny obliged while keeping his other hand firmly on the feisty man's wrists tied behind his back.

"Let's go back there. See if they need assistance."

With the teen in the back seat, Danny and Steve returned to the scene of the accident just as the ambulance and police cars converged on the spot.

"Steve McGarrett, Five-0," Steve flashed his badge to the officer. "My partner and I saw everything." He turned to Danny escorting the young offender to a police cruiser. "He ran a red light and crashed into the Honda back there. I didn't smell any alcohol on his breath. He was probably just speeding."

"Thank you. We'll handle it from here," the officer said, nodding to his partner to settle the teen into the back seat. "Might want to go down to the precinct to make your deposition."

"We will but first, this man needs to be checked out," Danny said, pointing to Steve rubbing his bleeding temple.

"Danny I'm fine. It's just a graze. I didn't lose consciousness."

"Not convinced. I need a medical attestation, babe."

"We don't have time for that!" Steve argued. "We need to..."

"It can wait! Chin and Kono won't be at the Palace for another hour or so with the information. Max needs time to perform the autopsy. We have time. Come on." Danny took Steve by the arm and nudged him toward the back of the ambulance. "Beside we were going to Queen's to interrogate the girl's coworkers anyway. We'll get there faster by ambulance."

"Faster than my driving?"

"Well I'd say it's safer."

Steve had to admit his head hurt like the dickens but he wasn't about to let Danny see him in pain. Once the paramedics had taken his vitals and applied a bandage over his wound, Steve was assisted to the back of one of the ambulances on site. Danny followed in his Camaro.


	3. Chapter 3

At the hospital Steve was led into the ER for a thorough examination and a CAT scan, while Danny phoned Chin and Kono to inform them of the small incident. He thereafter called Steve's wife, Frances, to gen her up on her husband's condition.

"He's fine, Frances. He didn't lose consciousness and was alert. He just has a pounding headache. He's gone down for a CT scan."

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"He chased after a teen who ran a red light and caused an accident. Says he had him pinned down to the ground when the guy grabbed a rock and smacked him on the head with it. He then of course assured me he was alright, but I insisted he come to the hospital for a check-up.

"Danny I'm in DC right now. I'm sure I can count on you to watch him and see that he follows the doctor's instructions?"

"You know you can. I'm sure it's nothing serious. I'll call you if it is."

"Thanks brother-in-law."

No sooner had he hung up and was heading back to the waiting room that Steve's attending physician came walking up to him.

"Detective Williams?"

"That's me."

He read from the medical chart, "You're Commander McGarrett's medical proxy."

"That's right. How is he? Nothing serious I hope?"

"Everything's fine," he assured. "The scan showed no break or hemorrhage, just some bruising. He has a gash on his left temple but it wasn't deep enough to require sutures. We applied gauze over it. "

"That's a relief! Can he go home?"

"Sure. However make certain he takes it easy for a few hours just to be on the safe side."

"Easier said than done," Danny snickered.

"I can believe that. I've only known him an hour and already I pegged him as a bullheaded one. One of my colleagues told me he has a reputation in this hospital?"

"You're new here, huh?"

"Yeah, just transferred two months ago."

"They are thinking of naming a wing after him."

"That much, huh?"

"Yup!"

"I'll release him in your care, Detective. Watch him for a while and as a precautionary measure don't let him fall asleep until late this evening. I'll prescribe something for the headaches, but if he should exhibit symptoms such as dizziness, confusion or a fever, bring him back here."

"I will."

"Come with me." Danny followed the doctor to one of the emergency rooms where Steve was finishing dressing up, putting on his shirt. "You can take him with you now, Detective."

"Thanks Doctor," Steve said, hopping down the table.

"Take it easy now. That was a quite a blow to the head you took. You're lucky nothing's broken and that there's no bleeding."

"I'll make sure he rests," Danny said, throwing Steve a warning look.

"Avoid sleep for a least the next eight hours. As I said, keep a lookout on symptoms such as dizzy spells, loss of consciousness, confusion, slurred speech. And you Commander, I expect you'll tell your partner here if you experience any ringing in the ears, seeing stars, nauseas or extreme pressure in the head. If you do, get right back here."

Steve nodded his understanding. "Doctor Mesner, before we go we'd like to ask you a few questions regarding an intern at this hospital. Her name is Malia Hajiro."

"Yes I know her. She works down in pediatrics. Why? Something happened to her?"

"She was murdered."

"Oh my God! When did this happen?"

"We don't have the exact time of death yet but it's safe to say it occurred in the last twenty-four hours," Steve informed.

"Who would do that? She was such a nice girl," the doctor deplored.

"That's what we're trying to find out. Do you know of anyone she was hanging around with at the hospital? Anyone she was sparring with?"

"No in fact the girl was sort of a loner. Eating by herself, rarely talking unless it was to converse with her coworkers. I heard she was a major achiever. A Valedictorian."

"Could it be someone was jealous of her?" Danny asked.

"That may be but I never heard anyone speak ill of her. But I've just been at this hospital for eight weeks. I wouldn't know if she had any close friends or enemies for that matter, which I strongly doubt. All I know if that she and I would occasionally cross path whenever I had a young patient to send to pediatric for care. You could try the people who worked with her on a daily basis. They might be of better assistance to you."

"Thank you, Doctor. We will." Steve said.

"Well, you take care now and heed my instructions."

"I'll see that he does," Danny assured.

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They followed up on three more of the girl's coworkers who had nothing but praises for the young woman, but described her as very quiet and shy. Although she made friends easily she wasn't interested in going out with them. She was a workaholic, taking her free time to bury her nose in her books.

Once the interrogations over, the two partners made it back to Danny's Camaro with Steve running a frustrated hand across his face. "Okay, we need to work another angle. We're not getting anywhere like this. Let's go see what Kono and Chin came up with."

"Unh-unh, we're not going to the Palace," Danny said as he brushed past Steve to sit in the driver's seat. "We're going to your house. You're taking the afternoon off to rest, babe."

"You've got to be kidding me?!"

"No. Now go sit in the passenger seat. You could do for a change."

Steve puffed out an exasperated breath and grudgingly did as told.

"I called Frances to let her know what happened."

"Why did you do that? You'll get her all worked up for nothing."

"She needed to know that her daredevil husband had landed himself in trouble again and that I was bringing you home early to rest, but she told me she was in Washington. So I assured her that brother-in-law was going to keep a watchful eye on her Big baby."

"They're closing in on the white slavery cell down there. They have a strong lead on where the Senator's daughter might be held."

"That's great. I know she's been working a long time on this case."

"She was the driving force behind it and now she's so close to dismantling the entire operation. If all goes well she should be back by the end of the week."

"All right. Until then I'm your baby-sitter."

"Danny!" Steve griped.

Danny quickly raised a finger up. "Ah ah! No griping now. Look Steve, I might call you Superman but that's just a figure of speech. Don't take it literally, babe. Besides even the Man of Steel got hurt sometimes and had Lois Lane taking care of him."

"Take a good look in the rear-view mirror, Danny. You'll see you're no Lois Lane," Steve ribbed.

"Well until Frances gets back I'm all you've got," Danny tabled the discussion with a smirk.

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At Steve's house later on, Danny had painstakingly managed to get Steve to stay put in a lounge chair on the lanai. He sat next to him and engaged in conversation to keep his partner awake, as he disturbingly noticed a few stifled yawns sneak out of Steve's mouth when he thought Danny wasn't paying attention.

As he went inside to get two more Longboards, Danny's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and stepped into the kitchen. He glanced down at the caller ID and answered.

"Chin?"

"Danny? How's Steve?"

"Just a small concussion. The doctor released him in my care so I can keep watch for symptoms that would warrant another trip back to the hospital."

"Kono and I have some information about the girl. Nothing significant though. It can wait till tomorrow."

"Danny? I heard a ring" Steve asked as he made his way to the kitchen.

"It's Chin. Says he has information about the murdered girl."

"Put it on speaker." Steve asked his partner. "Talk to us Chin. What have you got?"

"Her full name is Malia Kathrina Hajiro, just turned twenty seven years old a week ago. She works as a pediatrician intern at Queen's. Ran a police background check. Nothing came up. No criminal record whatsoever, not even a misdemeanor or traffic violation. No travel record, credit card paid in full at the end of each month. She's an only child. Mother died when she was fifteen. Father is alive and living in Idaho."

"Wait a minute!" Confused, Steve turned to Danny. "Didn't Duke say that the landlord told him that the girl was receiving visits from her dad?"

"Yes I believe he did," Danny concurred.

"We checked his whereabouts," Kono said, bringing up a file on the screen at HQ as she spoke on the speaking phone. "He's a computer salesman. He's made several business trips to the island in the last few months, so safe to assume he dropped by his daughter's apartment for a visit. His picture matches the landlord's description. However he hasn't been on the island for the past three weeks."

"So he checks out. What about a boyfriend, friends, hospital coworkers?" Steve probed further.

"She didn't have much of a social life. Kept pretty much to herself," Chin informed.

"Yeah the hospital staff did describe her as a loner and a bookworm," Steve mentioned in addition to her Chin's statement.

"She must have done something to irk someone this badly?" Danny stated.

Steve ran a hand across his face to wipe the exhaustion creeping in. "There were no signs of a break-in, right?"

"Right."

"Did the building have surveillance cameras at the entrance door? Does the landlord keep tabs on visitors?" Steve continued to probe.

"Negative on both counts," Kono said.

"Danny suspects the landlord might have had something to do with this. He has a master."

"Want us to check it out? Perhaps he has a criminal record?" Chin asked Steve.

"Yeah and check at the hospital where she worked to know if vials of narcotics were reported missing in the last few days. That would indicate that she might have been supplying him or any other guy with drugs. They may look innocent but those pretty faces are the often the ones that get away with murder."

"We'll get on it and Steve...get some rest, brah."

"Danny told you?" he asked, shooting his partner a sidelong glare.

"Yeah. He assured us you were okay though."

"I am. Okay soon as you have the information, call me."

"Will do."

No sooner had Steve ended the call with Chin and Kono that he sped-dialed the Medical Examiner's office.

"Who are you calling?"

"Max. See if he has the results of the autopsy."

"You told him to call you as soon as he had them. Steven, relax. Take a breather."

"Danny I've been lounging around on the lanai for nearly three hours. I'm well rested thank you."

"Don't think that because you were lying in that chair that I don't know about those wheels turning in that head of yours."

"Well we do have a case that...oh yeah Max, Steve here. Do have the results on the girl's autopsy?"

"Not all of them but the preliminary examination has revealed something unsettling."

"What?"

"Three of her organs were missing."

"What do you mean by missing?"

"They were clearly harvested."

Steve turned to Danny completely bewildered. "Are you saying she was the victim of a human organ black market?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**For those who asked and for others who would like to read HelenBeacham's Steve/Frances** **stories, here are the IDs for a quick search: 'Strange Bedfellows' ID: 8915502 and 'Project Miranda' ID:9726871**_

"The evidence is irrefutable. The incisions on her abdomen were applied with surgical precision, similar to a Caesarean. Her kidneys, liver and pancreas were missing. He didn't bother to ligate the arteries and veins once he was done and left her to bleed to death."

"Please tell me she was dead when that bastard cut her up?" Danny asked expectantly, bracing himself mentally for Max's answer.

"Illicit practices are known to resort to a paralytic agent such as suxamethonium chloride to immobilize their victims while they extract the organs. Its effect wears off within ten to fifteen minutes. However if you're not on respiratory support during that time lap, you can quickly die from asphyxiation. It is used in hospitals for intubation before surgery. Simply put, no she wasn't but in all probability she was numbed or she would have struggled and cried out. There were no bruises on her body, meaning she wasn't held or tied down. "

"Did you find traces of that drug in her blood?" Steve asked.

"Negative. The body begins metabolizing the drug almost immediately, therefore making it virtually impossible for the crime lab to detect it, unless the corpse is found minutes after injection. In that case the blood tests reveal residual metabolites. All toxicology reports have yet to come in."

"OK, thanks Max. You call me if the autopsy yields anything else that we can use in our investigation," Steve said before hanging up. His cheeks puffed out in frustration.

"This is most disturbing, pal. Organ black markets are usually found in impoverished countries. I never would have thought they could implement a business in Hawaii. I would say the risks are too high of getting caught."

"Not necessarily so. Frances was just mentioning to me the other day that the FBI had been investigating a similar case down in Texas. Could be a branch. I'll talk to her about it, see if she can shed some light on the case."

At that moment, Steve's cell rang. He looked down at the caller ID and broke into a wide grin. "Speaking of the devil!" he jested to Danny before answering, "Hey baby!"

"Hi yourself tall, dark and handsome."

"I've missed you."

"Miss you too. Good news is that I'll be home tomorrow. We wrapped up the case. We found Senator Wilber's daughter," Frances informed with enthusiasm in her voice.

"Oh that's great!" Steve exulted over the news. "Where did you find her?"

"Our team found her working in an illegal sweatshop in Bangladesh. We brought down the business by the same token."

"How is she?"

"Relatively in good shape considering. I suspect she'll need lots of therapy to get over the nightmares but if she's like Karen, she should muddle through okay."

"Don't forget Karen has Danny as her personal shrink," Steve stated as he winked at Danny.

"Yeah. Hopefully Shelly will find her Danno. After a quick medical check-up, she went home with her parents. She's now safe and sound and I'm bushed."

"When you get home I'll give you a nice relaxing massage."

"Sounds good," she purred.

"Incidentally what time is your flight tomorrow? I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Are you sure? You're not on a case right now?"

"We are but I'd like to pick your brains and see if you can help us make heads or tails of it."

"Okay. I'm booked on Hawaiian, flight number three from LAX . ETA two thirty in the afternoon unless I miss my connection, in which case I'll get on a later flight."

Steve scribbled down the information on a pad of paper. "Got it. I'll be there. You take care now."

"You too, sweetie."

"Everything all right?" Danny asked a bit concerned.

"Yeah. Frances and her team located the Senator's daughter in Bangladesh, working in an illicit sweatshop. They are dismantling the human trafficking cell in DC."

"That's another mighty achievement under her belt."

"Yeah, I'm real proud of her. She will..." Before Steve could finish his sentence his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID before answering. "McGarrett."

"Steve. Can you come at 1821 Nuuanu Avenue? We have another victim."

"Oh no. Ok Duke, Danny and I we'll meet you there." He hung up and stared forlornly at his partner. "We've got another one."

"And here I was hoping it was just an isolated incident," Danny lamented. "Ah, what about that?" Danny sarcastically pointed at Steve's head.

Steve touched the bandage on his temple. "What?"

"Doc told you to...ah what the hell! You're not going to listen anyway. Ok, let's go."

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When Steve and Danny arrived on the crime scene, they made their way out back where they found a CSI team on site already rummaging about in a public trash bin.

"Duke!" McGarrett call out to attract the chief's attention.

"Steve. Glad you're here." Duke noticed the bandage on the side of Steve's head. "Hey, what happened to you?"

"Just a scratch," Steve dismissed.

"What's that smell?" Danny queried with a hand covering his nose.

"Decomposing flesh. We found him in a large garbage bag in that bin over there."

"Him?" Steve asked, his nose crinkling at the putrid odor emanating from the bin. "Any identification?"

"Yeah. Twenty-five-year-old Allan McGregor. Lived in this apartment building." Duke pointed to the tall building to the left. "We're trying to locate any living relatives in the area. CSI estimates from the advanced state of decomposition that the body must have been in there for some three days."

"A neighbour. He was complaining about the stench. We came to investigate and that's when we found him."

All three squat down by the drape-covered corpse lying on the ground.

As soon as Duke lifted the sheet to peek at the cadaver, Danny pinched his nose in disgust, while Steve squinted and held his breath. "As you can see, same pattern."

Steve looked away and sucked in a deep breath before he leaned in closer to inspect the insides of the cadaver. "He took out the kidneys, liver and pancreas just as he did for the girl." Duke stared at Steve puzzedly. "We may have a human organ trafficking on the island."

"You're not serious!"

"Unfortunately I am. According to Max, the victims are given a paralytic drug so they can't feel or move while they harvest the organs, after which they are left to die."

"I heard that's how it's done in several third world countries but the people usually survive. They go home with loads of cash."

Steve and Danny stood while Duke gave the signal to load the corpse into a body bag to haul it off to the morgue.

"I'll get Kono and Chin to check his background. Hopefully it'll provide us with a clue as to the reason he chose those two victims in particular. We'll be at the Palace."

"Max will have the body within the hour for an autopsy. Meanwhile we'll try to get in touch with his next of kin and keep you posted."

"Thanks Duke."

As the two partners made it back to the car, Danny sensed that the wheels were already turning into that SEAL head.

"What are you thinking, babe?"

"I recall what Frances told me about the case she was working on. The guy they caught plundering body organs was a doctor. And Max did say that the incisions were done with a surgical precision."

"That's right. So we narrow it down to medical professionals, like surgeons?"

"I say we start looking down that avenue." Steve said as he sat behind the wheel of Danny's Camaro and put on the ignition.

"What about doctor's orders?" Danny sneered.

"I'll rest when we catch that bastard."

"Figures!" Danny rolled his eyes.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

The next day, Steve was at the Honolulu airport waiting for Frances's flight to land. He waited for her to come up the gate and waved to attract her attention.

They fell into each other's arms and tightened the embrace to savour the moment before pulling back to exchange a tender kiss.

Steve took her travel bag and she draped her arm in his as they both made their way to the exit.

"How was your flight?"

"Very pleasant. Both were on time for a change. Although cracking down on that human trafficking cell and finding Shelly Wilber was most rewarding, I'm very happy to be back home with you."

"I'm glad to have you back. Hopefully you'll get to stay in Hawaii longer this time. I really miss it when you're not at home."

"That's sweet," she smiled and leaned into him. "I'm going to collect on that offer of a massage."

"It'll be my utmost pleasure," he said with a mischievous grin.

They walked to Steve's blue Silverado and took their seats.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked before he could start the engine.

"Do you remember the case of the organ black market you investigated a few months ago?"

"I do," she answered with a slight frown crossing her brows.

"Well we seem to have a copycat on the island. We had two young victims falling prey to this butcher in less than three days. I'm worried there might be more if we don't zero in on a suspect soon."

"What do you have so far?"

"One was working as a medical intern at Queen's. The other was a mechanical engineer, both in their late twenties. No relation whatsoever and nothing to indicate why this guy targeted those two in particular."

"The young age is usually the common denominator, but we need more to go on. You mind if I take a look at the data you have so far?"

"I was hoping you would," Steve said with a knowing grin.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

"I'll go upstairs and changed," Frances said while stifling a yawn.

"Okay. I'll be right behind you. Just got to check with Chin and Kono."

They gave each other a quick kiss before parting ways.

It was nearly ten minutes later when Steve climbed upstairs to their bedroom. "All right, Magic Fingers at your serv..." he stopped in mid-sentence upon noticing Frances sleeping, curled up on her right side. He padded up to her, slanted his head to peek at her face. "Frances?" he asked in a hushed whisper, smiling as he realized she was sound asleep.

He went to grab the bed spread that he unfurled and mantled over her. He leaned down to give her forehead a feathery kiss before leaving to take a shower.

Minutes later he returned in his sweat pants and t-shirt and crawled into the bed next to her. He kissed the back of her head and wiggled himself into a comfortable position before closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to claim him as well.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Nearly an hour later, Frances stirred awake. She blinked to focus on her surroundings before rolling onto her back. She frowned upon noticing her husband sleeping beside her. With a tired smile, she turned on her left side and draped her arm across his chest and cuddled closer to him.

Feeling a lump beside him, he moaned awake. "Hey," he slurred, still groggy.

"Hey yourself. How long have you been sleeping here?"

He glanced at the digital clock on the night stand. "About an hour. You fell asleep so I thought I'd join you. I didn't think I'd drift off so quickly but I guess I hadn't realized just how drained I was. You sure you're okay, though?"

"Yeah. Just a bit tired. And pregnant," she blurted out in a contended sigh, smiling as she waited for Steve's reaction.

Steve nodded in acknowledgement before the words sunk in. "Wait, what did you just say?"

She chuckled. "Certainly took you long enough? Seven seconds."

"You're pregnant?"

She lifted her heavy head to rest on his chest and tightened her arm around him torso. "I think so."

"You think so?" he was perplexed.

"I bought a home-pregnancy test in Washington. I took the test before leaving for the airport. It was positive." Steve's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I wanted a doctor to confirm it first and wait to spring the news on our wedding anniversary, but I obviously couldn't resist telling you sooner."

Steve held her tight against him. "This is great!"

She peeled her head off his chest to gaze into his eyes. "Is it really? I know we talked about waiting until we were ready and..."

Steve quickly interjected. "It's been a year, Frances. I thought we'd wait six months, top. I was seriously beginning to doubt my manhood." He craned his neck to claim her lips in a tender kiss that quickly turned into a passionate embrace.

They broke the liplock minutes later and lay nestled into each other arms.

"I've been racking my brains out trying to think of an anniversary gift, though I don't think I can top yours."

"I didn't think you'd remember."

"Of course I do. I just don't know what to do. I'm new at this and...well...I draw a blank."

"You know what I'd like to do?"

"What?"

"Tell everyone we're gone for the week and stay at home and just lounge around doing nothing but go for swims and watch movies curled up on the couch. No cell, laptop, iPad, iPod, iCrap, nothing."

"You don't want to go somewhere romantic?"

"THIS is romantic, being at home with you."

"I second that," he said teasingly before capturing her lips in another passionate embrace.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Frances was in the bathroom sizing up her belly in the mirror with an amused Steve looming under the doorway watching her. "Yes, I expect that belly will grow in size," he teased, as he slowly walked up to her to snake his arms around her waist.

"And you can't wait at the opportunity to throw fat jokes at me, aren't you?"

"Of course. Certainly looking forward to it," he smirked, as he buried his face into her neck.

"Yeah, well choose your moments carefully. It might be hazardous to your health."

"You are a pussycat when it comes to your husband," he said, nibbling down her neck.

"Not when the mood swings kick in, sweetie. I even scare myself."

"I sure am going to miss those wrestling matches for the next months where I send you to the floor."

"Correction. YOU are the one who ends up on the floor and me on top of you."

"Well, that's the way I like it," he ribbed, pursing his lips to refrain from laughing.

She playfully elbowed him in the stomach and he feigned doubling over in pain.

"Besides I'm not sure that I'm pregnant."

"Well, have you had morning sickness, cramps or strange cravings?"

"None. But then again I didn't have them while I was pregnant with Aleena. I've been unusually tired lately but I attributed it to the human trafficking case I've been working on. I did gain five pounds and that cannot be solely due to my overindulging on your blueberry muffins. I called my doctor. Said he had an opening this afternoon."

"I'll go with you."

"I don't think you have time, what with this case and all."

"I'll make time," he insisted as he leaned in to steal a kiss.

"You'll just be sitting in the doctor's office waiting and I know you. You can't sit idly by, especially not when you have a hot case. You'll go stir crazy. How about I call you with the results?"

"Deal!" He leaned in for another kiss but the moment was abruptly interrupted by his cell phone ring.

He groaned and answered grudgingly. "McGarrett (...) Ah man! Where? (...) I'll be right there."

"What is it?"

"The Ripper strikes again."

"Want me to go with you?"

"It's not necessary," he said unconvincingly.

"Give me a minute to throw in some descend clothes and I'll be with you."

"What about the doctor's appointment?"

"It's at two. I have plenty of time."

"All right. I'll call Danny."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Danny joined Steve and Frances on the scene of the crime, an apartment building in a posh neighborhood.

They met with their most horrific scene ever, as this victim was not only cut from chin to belly, her eyes had been gouged out as well.

"He went further than the last two," Duke observed. "This time he added her heart, lungs and eyes to the list. Nothing much left of her."

Frances squatted down to study the disemboweled body. "He didn't take her liver, though. Why is that?" she pondered out loud.

Duke shrugged. "Beats me."

"He must have known it wasn't viable. She could have had a liver disease."

"How would he know that?" Danny asked.

"He has access to medical files," Steve inferred.

"Precisely. That's how we caught our last ripper in Washington."

"Same with the eyes then. The last two had myopia. One was wearing glasses and the other contact lenses. And according to the information Kono got from the hospital, they each had congenital heart and lung defects," Steve expounded. "He won't waste time harvesting organs that he knows won't sell on the open market."

"And our first victim worked at Queen's. The second had just gone through a series of tests at the same hospital and I bet you this girl here had some medical assessment at Queen's as well," Danny surmised.

They stood from the bloody cadaver lying on the carpeted floor. "I'll get Kono to obtain a copy of her medical record. See if she's been by recently for a check-up or any minor injuries." Taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts, he then addressed his wife, "Do you think a doctor could have done this?"

"That was your initial suspicion when Max mentioned that the incisions were made with surgical precision and look at it," she brought his attention back to the butchered corpse. "It's not a botched job. He knew exactly where to cut to get his merchandise. Where would be the logical access to remove kidneys?"

"Through the back," Steve assumed.

"To you and me it is. Surgeons know just where to apply the incisions."

"Could it be an ordinary Joe who took a crash course on how to slice up a human body?" Danny chimed in with a tangible theory.

"It's plausible. But again he'd have to have access to their medical records. Clearly he's working in a medical establishment or someone at the hospital is providing him with the data he needs. So far the common denominator is Queen's Medical Center."

"And a doctor being a friendly face, you wouldn't think twice of willingly opening your door to him, hence the absence of a break-in," Danny added.

"I want this trash off our island," Steve seethed before addressing Duke on a more composed tone, "Duke, do you..."

"Sir!" a young officer interrupted. "I found this scalpel underneath the bed." He held up the bloody instrument in his gloved hand.

All company present were more baffled than enthusiastic at the prospect of the butcher leaving his calling card behind.

"Send it to the lab. They'll dust it for fingerprints, though I doubt they'll find any," Steve said.

"Perhaps if we're lucky, he cut himself with it and left his own droplets of blood on the knife," Danny presumed, getting a praising grin from his partner. "We're looking at a man, right? I don't believe a woman would do that?"

"You'd be surprised, Danny, what people would do for money. I'm not dismissing that possibility. Some women can be as cruel as men," Frances stated.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

At the Palace later on, Kono walked into Steve's office as he was conversing with Danny. "Boss I got the medical record from the last victim," she announced while waving the folder in the air. "Her name was Danielle Hiller. She went to Queen's for a routine exam for she had a partial hepatectomy a year ago because of cancer," she explained, as she handed the file over to Steve.

"That explains why he didn't take her liver."

"That's right. Her heart, lungs, kidneys and pancreas were all in excellent shape, and she had twenty-twenty vision."

"We're definitely narrowing down the list of possible suspects," Danny said with bubbling optimism.

"What about fingerprints?" Steve asked.

"Chin's with Charlie. He should have the results shortly."

As they tossed around names of possible suspects, Steve's phone rang. His face flushed and adrenalin shot through his body upon seeing Frances name on the caller ID. He swallowed hard and answered. "Hey! So what's the word?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"Why? Should I?" he asked, concerned.

"You might want to."

Steve spotted the nearest chair and slowly seated himself in it. "Ok. I'm sitting. What is it?"

"I'm six weeks pregnant, with twins."

Steve sprung up from his chair with a gleeful smug on his face. "What?"

"You hit the bulls eye, twice."

"Yes! Yes!" Steve shouted with a fist pump.

Danny and Kono looked at each other bemusedly.

"Why don't you invite the gang over for supper tonight to celebrate? I'll drive by Kamekona's and pick up the food."

"Sounds wonderful. I'll ask them. I love you so much."

"Diddo, kiddo."

"Steve, what is it?"

Steve was at a complete lost for words as he toiled to recover his composure. Finally he found his voice, though it was shaky at best. "Frances's pregnant with twins."

Jaws dropped and faces lit up at the news.

"Congratulations, babe!" Danny was first to pull Steve into a hearty hug and gave him congratulatory pats on the back.

Kono took her turn at hugging Steve and kissed him on the cheek. "Congratulations, boss!"

"Thanks."

"What's going on?" Chin asked as he walked in on the euphoria.

"Steve just got word that Frances is pregnant with twins," Kono informed his cousin.

"Twins! That's quite an achievement, brah!" Chin observed, going in with his own brotherly clench.

"You're all invited tonight for a celebration supper. Kamekona is supplying the food."

"Unfortunately Malia can't make it tonight. She's pulling a double shift to fill in for a sick leave."

"That's too bad."

"I'll ask if she can get off earlier in time to be there later."

"That'd be great! We'd love to have you both. Kono? Danny?"

"Karen and I will be there of course!"

"Adam is out of town. But I'll come," Kono said.

"Ok," Steve exhaled loudly, running both hands across his face to wipe off the jubilation and return his focus on the case at hand. "Let's try to get our focus back on the case. Chin, got the result of the fingerprint analysis?"

"I do. Got plenty but not one matches all three scenes of the crime. We did find a blurry set of prints on the scalpel. Charlie's working on the identification. So far the analysis of the blood found revealed that it was the victim's only."

"We need to home in on our guy and the question is how? We can't very well keep tabs on everyone who's had check-ups at the hospital in the past month. We need a plan to smoke him out before he strikes again." He turned to Kono, "Kono, do you have the memory stick of those three medical records?"

"Yeah. I'll get it." Kono momentarily stepped out of the office to retrieve the stick from the smart table.

"There has to be a detail we overlooked," Steve mused to his teammates.

Kono returned seconds later with the USB key. Steve plugged it into his laptop and opened the three files. "Chin, Kono, could you get a list of all surgeons working at Queen's?"

"Right away, boss," Kono acknowledged before she and Chin exited Steve's office.

As Steve began studying the medical records, he suddenly froze and buried his head in his hands.

"Steve? Something wrong? You found something?" When Steve didn't budge nor flinch, Danny approached the desk and insisted. "Steve?" Steve peeled his face off his hands and stared at Danny with a hunted look. "What's the matter? You're sick?"

"It just hit me. I'm going to be a father," he said with a slight quaver in his voice.

"Yes you are. I thought you'd be happy?"

"I'm ecstatic."

"Really? You sure don't look it. You're white as a sheet."

"I'm scared that's all. I don't think I'm really father material."

"Well you should have thought of that before…you know? Come on, I've seen you with Grace. You're a natural! Even Frances saw it."

"That's different," he stood and walked around." Grace is already grown up. It's easy. We're talking about a little infant here."

"All fathers and mothers go through that initial panic, it's normal. You have no idea how you'll behave. I was the same basket-case when Rachel was pregnant."

"Were you, really?"

"Millions of scary thoughts whirled through my mind. But let me say that once the doctor puts that bundle of joy in your arms, all your qualms disappear. You instantly know how to hold him, how to nurture him, how to love him. Give yourself some time. It'll come naturally."

"Thanks, Danny."

"Hey, I'll be here if you need my help. I can't wait to be Uncle Danny."

Steve let out a choking laugh at Danny's words of encouragement that put his mind at ease.

Kono burst into the office followed by Chin, "Boss, Charlie just called with the fingerprint results on the scalpel. They have a match with a Doctor Henri Howland."

"Howland?" Steve frowned at the name that sounded familiar and turned to the screen to give the three medical files a quick sweep. "He's the link between the three victims. Same workplace as Malia Hajiro, safe to say he knew her, and he treated the other two victims."

"Sounds like our man!" Danny expressed with glee.

"Not necessarily so." Steve blunt statement dampened the enthusiasm.

"Watch out! He's got a face," Danny observed.

"I mean think about it. The man wouldn't be so careless as to leave such damaging evidence behind."

"Unless perhaps he was interrupted and had to scamper off," Danny alleged.

"Even so I imagine he would have used gloves. They don't leave fingerprints," Steve mused. "No, there just too many discrepancies. It doesn't smell right."

"What? You think the real guy planted the evidence to pin the blame on Howland?" Chin asked and noticed Steve's eyebrow quirked in response.

"It'd be someone who is aware of his routine and has access to his patients' charts. One who can easily get his fingerprints on a knife." The wheels were turning inside Steve's head.

"How do you want to proceed?" Chin asked.

"Let's go have a talk with our suspect, see if he can provide a clue as to who the real deal could be. He might run scared and expose himself."

"Or we might lose him," Danny said.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

The interrogation of their primary suspect having yielded no tangible leads, Steve and his team elaborated a contingency plan with the help of HPD.

At the end of the day, both partners left the Palace together and walked to their cars.

"I'll get Karen and we'll be right there. Shouldn't take long. I'm sure she's ready by now. Unless she can't find a thing to wear. You know women?"

Steve laughed. "Take your time, buddy. Frances and Kamekona won't be at the house for another hour."

"Ok, we'll see you later. I'll bring the Longboards."

Steve nodded appreciatively before both men parted ways to step into their respective car and drove away.

Once arrived at his house, Steve parked his truck in the driveway. With a bounce in his step, he sprightly walked up to the front door and unlocked it.

He went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and took two swigs before twisting the cap close and leaving it on the counter.

He took the steps two at the time to his bedroom to grab a pair of sweatpants and a clean t-shirt. In a sidelong glance he noticed the patio door slightly ajar. First a suspicious frown, then a knowing look thinking that Frances had already arrived. Suddenly his ears pricked up at a stifled noise behind him. He smiled. "Baby, is that you?"

"Yes, darling," replied the sarcastic voice.

A sudden chill ran down his spine and before he could turn around to face the intruder, he felt a prick in the back of his neck. He quickly reached for the sore spot and removed the dart. Before registering what it was, he lunged at his attacker who revealed himself from behind the door.

The drug already starting to kick in, Steve was slightly swaying and was clearly at a disadvantage. The man kept dodging his swings and kicks that were off the mark.

"It's youuuuu," Steve breathed out when he finally stared into the dark eyes of his assailant. The man broke into an evil grin and merely pushed his victim backwards who felt limply on the floor with a thud.


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING: There are grisly descriptions that might not be suitable for some readers. You must know by now that the killer is a sadistic psychopath, so proceed at your own discretion.**

Tried as he did Steve could not move an inch. He struggled to breathe as he felt his muscles stiffen.

The man casually knelt down on the floor beside him and put his medical bag down. He opened it and took out a pair of scissors. He began cutting away at Steve's t-shirt to expose his bare chest.

"I'm sorry for cutting up your shirt but it won't be of any use to you once I'm through," he said with marked sarcasm while Steve labored to move his arms or any part of his body for that matter.

He thereafter shed his black gloves and slipped on pair of surgical gloves. "The drug I gave you is for your own good so you won't feel a thing."

He then straddled Steve's legs to keep him as immobile as possible before taking out a bottle of Betadine. He poured a small amount onto a cotton swab and swiped the intended incision area onto Steve's abdomen.

He took out a scalpel and began making the incisions. Steve moaned.

"You can't possibly feel that? Then again it's your own fault for removing the dart so soon. I would think not enough of the drug entered your system to paralyse you completely. A little pain won't hurt you. Sorry for the irony, Commander."

"It's nothing personal. Hawaii wasn't my choice of playground, mind you, but given the fact that I was offered a very lucrative position at Queen's, I couldn't pass it up. I thought I would encounter another bunch of incompetent cops like in other cities. I was wrong. Task force Five-0 had more resources and obviously brains in the outfit. That's a compliment."

Once the three incisions done, he reached for a rib spreader and applied it to the median incision and began spreading both sides to open the wound.

"When you came to the hospital after that little traffic incident I checked your medical record. You are very healthy, Commander. Heart, liver, kidneys, except perhaps for your lungs that have slightly been damaged in the past. I doubt I could get top price on the market for them." the man crowed sarcastically as Steve lay there still with lips turning blue from hypoxia.

"Yes I could have just giving you a powerful poison to kill you right here and now, but I decided to kill two birds at one stone. I get my goods and you die."

A small, barely audible whimper seeped out of Steve's throat.

"Don't fight it, McGarrett. It'll all be over soon. Just think what a service you will be rendering. You'll be saving lives. Now close your eyes." He closed the eyelids with two fingers. "I don't like doing this with eyes on me and I'm sure you don't want to look at it either." He held the scalpel firmly between his thumb and forefinger. As he reached down to slice the renal artery and vein to excise the right kidney, a sound from downstairs interrupted him.

"Steve we're here! Steve?" Danny shouted as he and Karen stepped into the house. Getting no answer, they entered the rest of the way, he with a case of Longboards and she with a bottle of wine. "Strange. He said he'd be here."

"Well, his truck's parked outside," Karen observed. "He couldn't have gone far."

"Probably went for a swim or something," Danny dismissed as he closed the door behind him. "Let's go put the stuff in the kitchen."

It wasn't long after that Chin's Harley pulled up behind Steve's Silverado. Kono was riding in the back.

"Hey guys, come on in," Danny greeted. "The host has momentarily stepped out but make yourselves at home."

"Malia will try joining us later."

"That's good."

Karen returned from the lanai. "Well he's not in the water. I don't see him out there."

"He's not in the shower either. I don't hear it running."

"Could have gone for a quick run?" Chin assumed.

"Before dinner? That's not in his habit."

"Or perhaps he was called on an emergency?" Kono surmised.

"And he would have taken off on foot?" Danny said sarcastically. "Besides he would have let us know. I'll go check his room. Danny started up the stairs to his partner's bedroom and gasped in horror at the grisly sight that greeted him. "Oh God! Guys, get up here QUICK!" He dove to his knees beside his partner and groped his neck to feel for a pulse.

They all hurried up the stairs with their minds racing and hearts thumping at Danny's blood-curdling yell.

"Oh my God!" Karen slapped her hands to her mouth in sheer horror and asked hysterically. "Is he alive?"

Both Chin and Kono knelt down by the mutilated body of their leader sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. They stared at Danny expectantly with their heart caught in their throat. "He's alive, barely, but he's not breathing. Karen call 911 NOW! Chin, go to the closet and get me the Ambu bag. You'll find it on the top shelf. Frances insisted they have one at home just in case." Danny instructed rather calmly under the circumstances while keeping his fingers on Steve's jugular. The pulse may have been thready and fleeting but it was still there.

Chin swung to his feet and hurried over to the closet to retrieve the item.

"Stay with me, Steve." Danny coaxed. He took the bag from Chin and applied the mask to Steve's nose and mouth and started pumping air into his partner's lungs. "Please tell me he didn't take anything." Danny asked Chin and Kono who took in the gory sight.

"We can't tell Danny. There's too much blood. He's hemorrhaging and I don't know how to stop it. We can cause more damage if we rummage in there." Chin was at a loss of what to do. Blood was oozing out of the huge incision.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Frances was over the moon, merry as a cricket as she drove home with Kamekona following in his truck with the celebration dinner dishes all packed into disposal containers.

As they neared the house they noticed red lights flashing in the distance. Seized with an icy clutch of dread, Frances reflexively accelerated. Her heart rate skyrocketed upon seeing the ambulance and police car parked in the driveway behind Steve's blue Silverado.

"My God! What's happening?" she mumbled to herself.

She quickly veered her car alongside the curb and killed the engine. She jumped out of her seat and dashed inside the house.

"Steve?" she called out frantically. "Steve? Where are you?"

"Frances, upstairs!" Danny shouted down from their bedroom.

She took the steps two at the time and appeared in the doorway. Her jaw dropped and her heart jolted to a stop upon taking in the macabre scene before her.

"Oh my God, Steve!" she cried.

"He's still alive," Danny informed with a choke in his voice. He momentarily held her hand as she knelt down beside Steve's body lying motionless in a growing puddle of blood with a ashen face and bluish lips. One paramedic was pushing air into his lungs with an Ambu bag attached to a tracheal tube, while the second and third were busy removing the spreader and stemming the hemorrhage as best as they could. Chin and Kono were tasked with holding the IV saline and blood bags each.

"He's not breathing, is he?" Frances choked out.

"No but his heart's still beating. He'll make it. I know he will," Danny assured with a snivel. He had been an emotional mess himself since finding Steve near death. "Whatever drug he was given was beginning to wear off and he was regaining consciousness, so the paramedics gave him a dose of morphine just in case. They got him intubated."

"Come on, Alan," the lead paramedic addressed his partner with the bag, "Hurry, we have to lift him onto the gurney now. For the life of me I can't stop the bleeding. Whoever did this must have nicked an artery. We need to load him into the ambulance now or we'll lose him."

"I've just notified Queen's. They're waiting for us," said the third medic.

"Sir, can you handle the bag for me?" the young paramedic asked Danny who was all too willing to oblige.

Duke and Kamekona lent a hand in lifting the bloody dead weight off the floor and onto the nearby gurney. Once the patient was strapped in for the journey to the hospital, they each took a side, with the first medic taking over the Ambu bag, as they prepared to climb down the stairs with Frances leading the way and with the rest of the team following behind.

Halfway through the living room, Steve went into cardiac arrest.

"Damn! He's coding. Alan, get on him and start compressions."

They briefly stopped to allow the paramedic to straddle Steve's legs and start applying CPR. Quickly they hurried out the door to load him into the back of the ambulance where they prepared to shock his heart back.

"Charge to three hundred," Instructed one medic to the other. The first attempt didn't produce any result.

They shock Steve three times while the others stood with bathed breath, praying for him to show signs of life again.


	7. Chapter 7

"I've got a beat," the medic said, and heard the collective signs of relief from outside. Karen hugged Danny and Kono did the same with Chin while Frances hopped into the back of the ambulance.

"I'm coming with him," Frances stated to the medics, her icy tone leaving no room for argument.

"She's his wife," Danny stated.

"All right. In that case Don, you ride in front with Alan," the lead medic instructed to his colleagues.

"Frances, we'll meet you all at the hospital." Danny said.

She simply nodded without lifting her teary eyes off her dying husband.

Once both doors were closed, the ambulance sped away with sirens blaring.

"Can I hold his hand?" Frances asked timidly to the paramedic keeping an eye on Steve's vitals.

"Sure."

She leaned over Steve and gently clasped his hand. She cringed at the icy cold touch as she sandwiched it between her hands to keep it warm. "Don't you dare let go. You need to tell us who did this to you so we can catch the bastard. You hear me, Steve?" she stressed angrily with a nudge on his hand.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

At the hospital, Frances kept holding Steve's hand as he was rushed to surgery.

"I'm sorry ma'am. That's as far as you can go," said one of the ER nurses at the entrance doors. "The nurses will want to ask you a few questions."

Frances nodded and craned her neck to peek through the tiny window in the door before reluctantly heading to the nurses' station.

Danny and Karen arrived minutes later. "Frances, how is he?"

"They wheeled him into surgery. God, Danny! His heart stopped again in the ambulance. They nearly gave up on him but I wouldn't let them."

"Good girl!" Danny cheered, enlacing her in his arms.

Karen ran her hand on her grieving sister's back hoping to soothe some of the anguish.

"What's the word?" Chin asked as he, Kono and Kamekona rushed in.

"They didn't say anything. He was just rushed to surgery." Frances said quaveringly before returning her attention to the entry forms. "Listen I suspect it's going to be a long wait, so I suggest we all settle in the waiting room and drain the coffee machine."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Chin said.

"You go on ahead. I'll finish filling out those forms and then I'll join you."

"Ok," Danny whispered with a brotherly hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you worry, Navy Gal. Your man is a tough koa. We're all pulling for him," Kamekona assured as he pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Big Bear."

As the gang proceeded to the waiting room, Karen turned and cast a worried look at her sister. Although she appeared to retain some control over her emotions, Karen knew better that it would be a matter of time before the dam broke. "She's trying to hold it together," she confided in her husband.

"Frances and Steve are alike in many ways. They keep it all bottled up inside."

"She'll be on the warpath, Danny. I can see it in her eyes."

"We're all going down that road with her, K. She won't be alone."

_H50H50H50H50H50h50H50h50h50H50H50H50_

Frances was pacing back and forth the length of the waiting room, wringing her hands of all its blood as her anxiety reached a new peak. She looked at her watch for the umpteenth time. "It's taking too long," she observed grimly.

Kono peeled her back off the wall and walked up to her to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "It's only been two hours."

"She's right. Something is wrong," Danny shared his sister-in-law's concern.

"If the unthinkable had happened surely they would have sent someone out to tell us," Chin inferred.

Suddenly Danny's eyes bulged out. "Something just occurred to me."

"What's that?"

"What if the nut that did this to him is operating on him at this very moment?"

"If he is he certainly won't do anything while others are around," Kono reasoned.

"No but he could make sure he dies on the table so that he won't identify him."

All looked at each other.

"Who's the doctor in there with him?" Danny asked.

Frances shrugged. She and Danny instantly hurried to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me. Can you tell us the name of the surgeon operating on Commander McGarrett?"

"Hold on." She reached for the operating chart. "Doctor Howland and Doctor Kailo."

"Howland!" Danny's heart sank. "He's the one with the fingerprints on the scalpel."

"What?" Frances exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah but Steve doesn't think he's the suspect. It was too obvious. Said he might have been framed."

"I usually trust Steve's judgment but what if he's wrong this time?" They locked eyes, sharing the same concern.

At that moment, Doctor Howland exited the OR with a blood-smeared surgical gown. He removed his mask and gloves and disposed of them in the biohazard bin. He stretched to remove the crick in his neck and walked over to the waiting room.

"Doctor Howland?" Danny said as he spotted the surgeon walking toward them. "How's Commander McGarrett?"

"He's alive," he exhaled tiredly. A chorus of sighs followed his lead.

"Oh thank God," Frances said, with a hand over her mouth to hold her emotions together.

"The extensive bleeding sprung from a tiny rip in the renal artery. We mended the tear and drained the abdominal cavity of the excess blood. We didn't find any other problem. His organs are intact and functioning to their full capacity, save for the right kidney that was tampered with, but it is gradually picking up. We gave him two blood transfusions to replenish the liters he lost. Our biggest concern right now is infection. We have him on broad-spectrum antibiotics hoping to avert such. We will monitor his vitals very closely for any sign of a fever or any other complications that may arise."

"But he's going to be all right?" Frances needed confirmation.

"Barring any setback he should be. He'll be awfully sore for a while and will need to curtail his activities."

Danny and Frances hugged each other.

"Can we see him?" she asked eagerly.

"Wait until they prep him up in the POICU, that's the post-operative intensive care unit. Come back in about fifteen minutes."

"We will. Thank you, Doctor."

"You bet. Oh and just in case you were wondering if I had anything to do with what happened...I'm sorry I don't have an airtight alibi, but I didn't do this."

"Where were you when Commander McGarrett was attacked?" Danny asked.

"At home."

"Anyone can vouch for you?"

Howland shook his head dejectedly. "I'm sorry. I was alone. My car was parked in the driveway but that's not solid proof, is it?"

"Understand that your whereabouts will be monitored at all time until we catch whoever did this."

"I understand. And I won't be offended either if you decide to assign another doctor to Commander McGarrett's case."

Danny turned to Frances to gauge her reaction to the request. She shook her head. "For now we'll leave him in your care. I expect you'll see that the Commander makes a full recovery so that he can identify whoever did this to him?"

"I most certainly will do that, Detective. I'll do everything to make sure you catch this psychopath. It makes my skin crawl to think this monster is here somewhere in this hospital."

"A security guard will be posted at the entrance of Commander McGarrett's room. Only authorized medical personnel will be permitted inside."

"I understand."

"In the meantime we would appreciate if you could keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything suspicious that you might see or hear."

"Yes sir."

Barely had the doctor left that the friends gathered in a group hug.

"I keep thinking that if Danny hadn't convinced me to wear those clothes, I would have changed and we would have arrived too late to..." Karen trailed off as her emotions started to overwhelm her.

Danny pulled his wife to his chest. "Don't think about that, K. If not us, then Chin and Kono would have found him. They did show up minutes after we arrived."

"Still, it could have been too late to stop him from..."

Danny held her tighter. "Shuuu, shuuuu, let's not worry about the ifs and maybes. Steve is alive. He's going to be all right. Ok?" he pulled back and slanted his head to read her expression. She gave a weak smile and a sheepish nod.

"How in the hell did he get into the house that's what I'd like to know?" Frances asked petulantly.

"He must have found the spare key?" Danny surmised.

She shook her head. "I convince Steve to get rid of it. Too dangerous."

"Duke says that there was evidence the patio doors had been tampered with. He probably picked the lock," Chin said.

"Guys, are we sure we want Doctor Howland to treat Steve?"

"I trust Steve when he said that he didn't think he was the ripper and somehow I don't think he is. He would have come forward with an airtight alibi right up front," Danny stated.

"Maybe but nevertheless I wouldn't turn my back on him. If he is the ripper, he knows Steve can identify him," Chin added.

"Not if he wore a mask," Frances challenged.

"I'll call Duke and arrange for round-the-clock security at Steve's room," Danny said.

Everyone fell into a brief silence before Kono spoke up. "In the meantime, anyone care to get a bite to eat while we wait to go see Steve?"

Although food was the last thing on their minds, they agreed to go down to the cafeteria for some light nourishment. At Frances's request, Kamekona had gone back to the McGarrett's house to check around and lock up the house after the police had finished their investigation, careful however of leaving the crime scene intact. While Danny phoned Duke, Frances called the Big Guy to tell him the encouraging news about Steve.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Twenty minutes later, Danny and Frances were allowed to visit with Steve.

They were relieved to see some coloring back in the patient's cheeks, a stark contrast with his drawn appearance a few hours ago.

"He does look a lot better than he did when we found him," Danny observed. "Karen is right. If we'd arrived a single minute later, the ripper could have done the job and Steve wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Just thank his lucky star that you showed up when you did." Frances said as she gently took hold of Steve's hand. "He's still cold but not icy cold like in the ambulance. Danny, I was so scared," Frances whimpered, prompting Danny to wrap a brotherly arm around her shoulders. "Makes my flesh creep to think this psycho could be roaming these halls with no one the wiser."

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "There'll be an around-the-clock guard posted at his door. Plus which, the hospital security is on high alert. He's safe."

"In any case I'm not leaving him tonight. I'm staying right here."

"I wanted to suggest you get some sleep while I take the first shift. You have to think of the babies." They both looked down at her belly and she ran a loving hand over it. "You mustn't strain yourself. I promise I'll call if there's any change."

"Danny understand, I can't leave. I almost lost him tonight," she said with a strangled voice. "I'll take the couch over there."

"You sure?"

She nodded and squeezed his arm. "But you're welcomed to stay here with me. Steve needs to hear your voice. You're like his brother."

"Thanks. I'll just go tell the others and I'll be right back." He gave her a peek on the cheek and cast one last look at his partner before leaving the room.

Frances scooted a chair over next to the bed and sat, gazing at her husband with bleary eyes while he slept, her hand tightly clasped around his. "We'll catch him, Steve. With your help he won't go far. He must know by now that you survived and I expect he will try to make sure you don't talk and when he does, we'll nail him. You just sleep and get better. Danny and I, we're not leaving you. We'll be right here."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

In the wee hours of the morning, HE watched silently as the guard yawned his head off. The coffee laced with a strong sedative he'd offered to him earlier was working its charm. He waited until the man was completely out, slumped crookedly in his chair, before he snuck inside McGarrett's room, careful to dispose of the incriminating evidence beforehand, which was the half-emptied coffee cup.

He balked upon seeing Frances sleeping on the couch in a corner of the room and Danny, bent forward, seating lopsidedly with his head resting on his arm that laid on the bed by his partner, his hand holding Steve's as they both slept soundly.

He dithered whether to proceed, knowing that if one of them awoke, he'd be caught in the act. Quickly, his brain whipped up a tangible pretext to allow for contingencies. He then padded up to the patient's bed and removed a syringe from his smock pocket. After squirting a few droplets, he plunged it into the IV line and emptied its content.

He flashed a malicious grin before leaving as quietly as he came in.


	8. Chapter 8

Early morning, Chin, Kono and Karen showed up with cocoa puffs and malasadas. As they entered Steve's room they were taken aback by all the flurry of activity. Two nurses and Doctor Howland were hovering over the patient while Frances and Danny looked on, visibly shaken.

"What's going on?" Karen asked, closing the gap between her and Danny.

"I woke up a few minutes ago with Steve wheezing and drenched in sweat. He had a fever of over a 103."

"Infection?"

He nodded. "They've taken a blood test to determine the exact bacterial strain."

"His BP's 85 over 50. Pulse 130. Fever is up to 103.7," a nurse was heard reporting to Doctor Howland, who was busy listening to breath sounds with his stethoscope and checking Steve's pupillary reflex.

"Why couldn't the antibiotics they're giving him right now prevented the infection?" Chin asked with a heart caught in his throat at seeing Steve struggling to draw breaths.

"It's obviously a strain that is out of that range. Once we know what exactly we're dealing with we'll get the right one, hopefully," the doctor informed ruefully.

"Hopefully, what...what does that mean?" Frances asked chokingly.

"It means that there are new bacterial strains being spawn from mutations, some antibiotics resistant. I just hope we're not dealing with a staph infection here."

"And if you are?" Danny ventured to ask.

The doctor's forlorn expression was self-explanatory. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll get the lab results and see what we're up against. In the meantime, we'll get him started on Vancomycin."

"Doctor, he was fine just a few hours ago. How could this bad an infection spread so rapidly without the nurses noticing the signs?" Danny wondered. "I'm no doctor but..."

"I checked him early this morning and aside from a slight rise in temperature, he was fine," said Nurse Allen.

"You should have reported it. This patient is at high risk for infections," he chided her.

"If you check the chart, his temperature was in constant fluctuation, reason why I didn't think it was alarming," Nurse Allen argued her point.

"It was down at 99.5 and spiked to 103 in just a few hours. It is cause for alarm and might I add a bit suspicious."

"Doc, you say there's no way a fever could spike this high in such a short amount of time?" Danny asked.

"It's unlikely but not impossible, depending on the bacterial or viral strain."

Danny's eyes traveled up to the IV bag. "Could he have been injected a concentrated dose of a deadly microbe?"

"Who could have done that without being seen? There's a security officer at the door and you both were in the room with him," Howland argued.

"Unless the guard was in on it?" Chin surmised, earning a round of dubious stares.

"In that case I'll have a serious talk with him," Danny said.

"Nurse Braddock, I want you to go down to the lab and have them check all vials of deadly viral and bacterial agents they have on stock. Pay special attention to the MRAS inventory," Howland instructed.

"Doctor, with your permission, I'd like to go with her," Kono asked.

"Granted," he nodded his consent and addressed Nurse Braddock, "Take Officer Kalakaua with you."

Both women exited the room.

"OK if we assume Danny's theory is right and someone did sneak into the room and injected him the virus, God Danny! we would have heard him?" Frances seethed, offended by that possibility. Danny could only offer a dejected shake of the head. "Or one of the nurses at that station would have spotted him?"

Then both Frances and Danny turned to Doctor Howland with a suspicious frown.

"I was off duty and at home. Ask anyone. I told the night nurses on staff to call me if anything happened."

"Who was on the night shift?" Chin asked.

"You'll need to ask the head nurse. She usually keeps a record of the staff on duty for each shift."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Later, the blood tests revealed a massive bacterial Staph infection. Steve's blood pressure was alarmingly low and a nasal cannula was installed to supply oxygen. Doctor Howland ordered that he be placed in isolation and was given a treatment of the only antibiotics known to have successfully countered the devastating effect of such Gram-positive bacterial infection.

He summoned Frances, Danny, Karen and Chin in the outer room to deliver the news.

His blood tested positive for MRSA, meaning Methicillin -Resistant-_Staphylococcus aureus_. This strain in resistant to many of the standard antibiotics. We are currently treating him with Vancomycin and we're seeing encouraging signs, but he's still critical."

"There was a vial missing down at the lab," Chin informed. "Kono is already interrogating everyone who signed the entry log since Steve was admitted."

"Whoever stole the vial could have snuck in without signing the register," Frances claimed.

"But who could have gotten to him? No one but me and two night nurses had access to the room," Doctor Howland stated.

"The guard outside says he didn't let anyone else in," Danny said.

"However he was seen napping on the job," Kono informed as she walked into the room and all eyes turned to her. "I've just spoken on the phone with one of the nurses on duty last night. She said she saw him slumped over in his chair at some point during the night."

"And she didn't say anything? Or at least tried to wake him?" Danny asked fumingly and Kono shook her head. "She could have seen the guy creeping into the room?"

"I asked her and she said she didn't pay much attention."

"Are we to believe that she could have aided our suspect?" Frances wondered.

"He was right there...he was RIGHT THERE AND I DIDN'T HEAR HIM!" Danny was incensed. He grabbed his head and angrily raked his hair back. Karen walked up to him and risked a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Danny don't you dare solely shoulder the blame, I was in the room with you and I didn't hear him either," Frances scolded.

"You realize that even if we get a name, we can't arrest him without solid proof," Danny stated once he regained some of his bearings.

"True," Chin agreed. "We need to catch him in the act."

"When word spreads that Steve survived this and I'm sure the big goof will, the ripper will try to finish the job more quickly the next time around," Danny said.

"I think I have a plan. It's risky but we can pull it off," Frances said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Let's get Duke on this one."

Danny cast a forlorn glance at Steve. "We'll catch him Steve, don't you worry. I'll be here around the clock until we nail him."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

The antibiotics managed to bring the fever down a notch but Steve's odd were still not in his favor. His heart was now a concern.

The ripper was close by observing. He knew that McGarrett had to die to prevent him from identifying him. His last attempt had failed and he pledged not to let him be so lucky next time around. However they had beefed up security around him and there was no way he could get inside the room now.

He went about his business for a while but managed to stick close by his quarry's room. He was at the nurses' station working on some patients' charts when he overheard Danny tell a nurse that he and the commander's wife would be down at the cafeteria to go grab a bite to eat, while the officer posted at the entrance of Steve's room would mount guard.

It wasn't long before he caught a lucky break when he noticed the guard getting up from his chair to walk over to the coffee machine in the adjacent waiting room. Should he risk it for such a narrow time frame, knowing the man would return to his post within minutes?

He kept his weather eye open and studied the officer's every move in an inconspicuous sidelong glance. Seeing how the officer remained by the dispenser to stretch out his limbs, he decided to seize the moment. Once he ensured the coast was clear, he crept inside the room.

"You're a hard man to get rid of, Commander McGarrett. I missed twice, but third time's the charm. I won't miss this time around." As he prepared to plunge the deathly solution into Steve's IV line, the lights came on, momentarily startling him. He was surprised to face the barrels of five guns.

"I think you will, Doctor Mesner," Danny snarled. "Get away from that IV."

"How? You were gone from the room."

"Our friendly officer at the door. When he left his post, that distracted you long enough for us to sneak back in."

"How did you know it was me?"

"You left a calling card behind. The security guard you drugged. He told us you brought him coffee that was no doubt laced with a sedative. Of course you obviously disposed of the evidence but we have his statement and the fact that we just caught you sneaking into Commander McGarrett's room. Why did you do it?"

In a blink of an eye, Mesner pushed the solution into Steve's IV line before Danny shot him in the arm. He held on to the syringe long enough to plunge the rest of the poison into his arm. His body instantly seized up and dropped to the floor like a stone. Duke made sure he was dead.

"Quick! Get that IV needle out of his arm!" Danny shouted.


	9. Chapter 9

_**This is a short tag to end this 'episode'. It is a request from many of you McFrances fans. Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Again thank you for reading.**_

"Kono, get Doctor Howland quick!" Frances ordered, afraid that some of the deadly mixture might have gotten into Steve's veins.

"Dan...Dannnnny?" came the raspy whisper from the bed.

"Oh my God, Steve! Are you alright?" Danny lunged at his partner and grabbed his hand.

"Why...why are you yelling?"

Danny burst into a hysterical laugh with tears brimming over in his eyes, as he felt the stress of the last few days ebbing away.

Frances and Chin stowed their weapons and joined in the laughter.

"I said som...something funny?" Steve asked wearily as he lazily glanced around at the faces smiling down at him.

Doctor Howland hurried into the room and gasped at his dead colleague sprawled on the floor. "So it was Mesner. I was so hoping you had the wrong man. It's creepy to think there was a killer amongst us."

Duke carefully handed him the syringe containing remaining droplets of the poison. "My guess is cyanide. He was dead within seconds. He also injected some into Commander McGarrett's IV line, but we ripped it off before any got into his system. In any case you'd better check."

Howland addressed his nurse, "Get a blood sample and tell the lab I want the results STAT!"

"Right away doctor." She momentarily left the room to fetch the equipment.

"I see you're awake, Commander." He glanced up at the heart monitor now showing a fever of a 102. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit stiff and hot." Steve reached down to his stomach. "Feels weird."

"I imagine it will be sore for a few days."

"What happened?" he asked, bemused.

They all look at the doctor expectantly.

"It's normal folks, don't worry. He'll remember soon enough. We'll let him rest now."

Frances leaned down to place a feathery kiss on her husband's lips. "You sleep now, sweetie. We'll be right here."

Before she could leave, he reached out a weak hand to her. "Stay," he begged in a ghostly whisper. He then did the same to Danny. "You too."

Both Danny and Frances glanced at Doctor Howland who smiled his consent before leaving. Duke and the officer, who'd been guarding the door, handled the dead body.

With heavy eyelids, Steve's weary eyes swiveled from one smiling face to the other. "Now, will you tell me what happened?"

"Later, babe. Right now you need your rest. We'll be right here with you. Promise."

With that assurance, Steve nodded weakly and gave each hand a light squeeze before he drifted off.

Frances took the dishtowel in the basin and wrung it of its excess water before applying it to her husband's feverish brow. No longer able to hold it, she broke into tears. Danny extended his arm and touched her shoulder from across the bed. "He's going to be okay."

"Yeah, Super SEAL strikes again!" she sobbed.

_H50H50H50H50H50h50H50h50h50H50H50H50_

Days elapsed and on a rainy afternoon, Frances found Steve standing with arms akimbo in the middle of the guest room.

Frances stood under the doorway somewhat puzzled by Steve's stillness. "Hey, what are you doing up? The doctor ordered complete bed rest for the next few days."

"I did rest. Four days is my limit. Besides I have work to do."

"What work? You're off duty from Five-0 for the next two weeks."

He turned to face her. "Not that kind of work. This kind," he said motioning to the walls. "I was thinking which color we should paint the nursery."

"Hum."

"What do you say to green and brown? They are nature's colors, very soothing and peaceful. Not to bright."

"That's a good idea," she agreed amusedly.

"It's also neutral since we don't know if we're expecting boys or girls or one of each."

"You still have time, sweetie. The babies aren't coming for another six months," she said as she moved toward him to wrap her arms around his waist.

"I know I'm just getting ahead." He pulled back a bit and rubbed her stomach. "Just think in a few months we won't be able to hold each other like that."

"We'll find other ways I'm sure." She looked up at him and stole a kiss. "What's the matter?"

"I'm a bit nervous about all this. I…I never thought I was father material. Don't get me wrong I'm ecstatic about the babies but," he sighed, "will I do a good job with them?"

She hugged him tighter. "Steve, you'll do fine. I was nervous too when I was pregnant with Aleena. But once she was born, it just came naturally."

"Yeah, that's what Danny said."

"Well he should know. He's a father himself. I wouldn't have let you conceive these babies if I didn't think you'd make a wonderful father and a great provider."

"Thanks, baby." He leaned down and stole a kiss. Instead of pulling back she tightened the clench, much to his concern. "Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah, just hold me and don't let go."

He obliged as he sensed a fear within her passing through him at the notion of coming to a hair's breadth of losing him. "It's over, Frances. He's dead."

"I know," she sniffed. "I was just so..."

"Hey, it's ok. I'm alright," he reassured, holding her tighter still. "You knew when you married me that this was part of the deal."

"I know but it doesn't make it any easier."

He buried his face in her neck for the longest time before he began peppering it with light kisses. He pulled back but they remained enlaced. "You still want to stay at home for our anniversary?"

She looked up into his fetching eyes and stole a loving kiss.

"Ok, I think that's a yes," he mumbled smilingly through the kiss that he resumed with a burning passion.

_**The rest is already history in 'Project Miranda'** _


End file.
